Michael Collins: The Money Party

The Money PartyThe Essence of our Political
Troubles

The Money Party is a small
group of enterprises and individuals who have most of the
money in this country. They use that money to make more
money. Controlling who gets elected to public office is the
key to more money for them and less for us.
As 2008 approaches, The Money Party is working hard to
maintain its perfect record.

It is not about Republicans
versus Democrats. Right now, the Republicans do a better
job taking money than the Democrats. But The Money Party is
an equal opportunity employer. They have no permanent
friends or enemies, just permanent interests. Democrats are
as welcome as Republicans to this party. It’s all good
when you’re on the take and the take is
legal.

This is not a conspiracy theory. There are no
secret societies or sinister operators. This party is up
front and in your face. Just follow the money.
One percent of Americans hold 33% of the nation’s wealth.
The top 10% hold 72% of the total wealth. The bottom 40% of
Americans control only 0.3% (three tenths of one percent).
And that was before “pay day loans.”

The story is
as old as civilization but the stakes have never been higher
than they are right now.

In every campaign for major
office, the party passes out money and buys candidates from
both parties. Thanks to the candidates who get elected,
this pay to play system remains perfectly legal.
Those elected get luxury trips, sweet jobs for family
members, and more campaign contributions for the next round
of elections. What they do is perfectly legal even
though it looks like bribery.

In return for
contributions, the election winners come through by
fixing the laws so that The Money Party cleans up. Lower
taxes, highly favorable business regulations, laws that
shield their businesses from real competition all start with
the nonstop flow of Money Party funds. Cost is no object,
because in the end it’s all paid for with our tax dollars.

The Money Party gets no-bid contracts as well as the
ability to lay off their employees and dump their pension
plans just about any time they want. It doesn’t get much
better than that. It's welfare for big money and survival
of the fittest for the rest of us.

We are nothing to
them.

When the White House and Congress ignore the health
care crisis year after year, why be surprised? They’re
not in office to serve you. The drug companies and
hospitals had their bid in first.

When our public
servants fail to get us out of Iraq, don’t take it
personally. That will happen when The Money Party says so.

When citizens suffer and starve for days after a
hurricane, we’re told they should have been better
prepared. When levees and bridges collapse, it's an
act of God. But when the fat no-bid contracts show up,
The Money Party takes it all.

Unreliable election systems,
citizens excluded from the vote on the basis of race and
class, and questionable results don’t matter as long as
the right candidates get in. We pretend to vote,
they pretend to get elected, but there’s no doubt who is
in charge - The Money Party.

It’s nothing personal.
The party is just doing its job. Why be surprised or
disappointed? It’s been happening for centuries. The more
some have, the more they want, the harder they fight to keep
it. Spread some around so they can get even more. It’s a
rigged game from top to bottom.

We let this happen.
We can change it. The first step is to name it, and we just
did.

The Irish fought for 800 years to win their
independence from the world’s most powerful empire.
Generations came and went before the goal even seemed
possible. They never gave up.

Now it’s our turn.

END

Note: This is the first in series of
articles on The Money Party. Other topics include
why we end up with such lousy leaders, why it’s so hard to
get rid of them, and how the party manipulates the public
debate with misleading terms and crackpot ideas that seem
legitimate. Special thanks to John Arbuthnot and Jillian
Hayroot for their input.

Permission granted to
reproduce in whole or part with a link to the original
article in “Scoop” Independent News and attribution of
authorship to Michael Collins.

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